Alpine Mountain High

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

It’s been quite a few years since I’ve visited the Vierwaldstättersee region of Switzerland around Lucerne. Last week’s news that they’ve inaugurated an amazing new double-decker, open-air cable car on the Stanserhorn has me planning a return visit.

The way cool Stanserhorn Cabrio offers a 2.3 kilometer thrill-ride up the Stanserhorn to the height of 1850 meters. While it’s not the highest peak in the area, the astonishing 100 kilometer vista of the alps and at least ten mountain lakes makes this a must visit if you’re in the Lucerne area.

To reach the Cabrio, which by the way also has all glass floors, it’s first necessary to take the old-fashioned funicular from the lakeside town of Stans to the Kätli cablecar station at about 700 meters. The double-decker cablecar then takes a mere six minutes to reach the top.

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Silk Purse from Sow’s Ear

Posted on July 10, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

The International Interior Design Association has selected the McAllen, Texas Public Library as the winner of the 2012 Library Interior Design Award. The enlightened city of McAllen, with the help of Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd., transformed an abandoned Wal-Mart store into a 123,000 square foot gem of a public library. How cool is that ? Here are a few photographs from the IIDA website.

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TED : not just talk anymore

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Focused on short, quick-read books, the new TED Books app, set to launch this month, is a dedicated platform for TED‘s publishing efforts. Most of the e-titles will be in the 20,000 word range. The nifty app will offer optional browsing through in-line items that can also link to graphics, maps, video and audio files.

The TED Books app will be free, but individual book titles will set you back $2.99 and there will be a subscription model that offers six books for $14.99. Check it out—

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Eurolapse

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Eurolapse takes us on a whirlwind three month tour of Europe in under five minutes. The film, created by photographer David Smith, was taken between May and August 2011.If you look closely, you can pick-out Vilnius, London, Amsterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, Riga, Santorini, Heraklion, Milan and the lovely Cinque Terra in Italy.

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The Bookshop Band

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Today marks the end of Independent Booksellers Week in the UK. To celebrate their love of indie bookshops, the “Bookshop Band” composed and recorded “A Shop With Books In It’ and toured England for three weeks performing at indie bookstores.

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Free Wi-Fi (redux)

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

This summer, New York subway riders might be able to actually get some work done on the train (rather than just beating their high scores in Temple Run). Beginning Monday, free Wi-Fi will be available at a number of stations courtesy of Google.

Boingo Wireless, the Wi-Fi provider well known for its wireless service for airports, has teamed up with Google Offers, the search company’s Web page for getting deals, to offer the free Internet. Google is paying for the service from now until Sept. 7.

Here’s a list of the stations where free Wi-Fi is available:

• A, C, E station at Eighth Avenue and West 14th Street

• L station at Eighth Avenue and West 14th Street

• C, E station at Eighth Avenue and West 23rd Street

• 1, 2, 3 station at Seventh Avenue and West 14th Street

• F, M station at Sixth Avenue and West 14th Street

• L station at Sixth Avenue and West 14th Street

Boingo said its Wi-Fi would be available in 36 New York subway stations by the end of the year, and in 270 stations in the next five years. The company offers several service plans for its Wi-Fi, such as $10 per month for unlimited use on any two Internet-enabled devices, or $8 per month for unlimited access on a mobile device.

Though Google’s promotion of the service ends in September, Boingo expects that it will continue to receive sponsorships to provide free Wi-Fi for the New York subway system regularly, according to Katie O’Neill, a spokeswoman for the company.

The free Wi-Fi promotions would add to the city’s existing initiative to bring cellphone service to the subway system. Transit Wireless, the company offering the service, started a pilot program last year, in which it installed fiber optic networks for cellphone connections on some platforms. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has said it hopes to extend the service to other parts of the system.

While a free Internet connection may sound like good news for everyone, the prospect of a wired subway system has been deeply controversial in New York. Sure, you could shoot off some e-mails and rearrange meetings while commuting, but some people may be offended by self-absorbed smartphone addicts standing in the middle of a crowded train, mesmerized with their Facebook updates.

(Source: NY Times)

 

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Another Travel Magazine

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

I just received a gratis copy of a new, glossy travel magazine; it’s one of the perks of the blog. This new contender reminded me of all of the ambitious, and failed, travel magazines that have been unable to sustain a readership and have quietly disappeared over the years. Maybe the publishers should go back to some of the travel periodicals that demonstrated amazing staying power. Travel , which was published between 1902 and 2003 was just that kind of magazine. The marvelous graphic artwork attracted readers, and more importantly subscribers for over a century. Could be a lesson there even in the internet age.

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Getting Sky High In London

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Londoners and tourists alike can now enjoy a sky high trip across the Thames between North Greenwich and the Royal Docks courtesy of Emirates Airlines. After two years of construction (and a mere £60 million), last week Britain’s first skyline was inaugurated. The cable car system was designed to bring tourists to the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Victoria Docks, serve commuters and encourage growth in the area.

The 34 car skyline takes about 5 minutes each way, but promises spectacular views of the city skyline. And all for the “low” price of £3.20 with an Oyster Card, £4.30 without and £6.40 for a roundtrip. The line will operate on weekdays 7am-9pm, Saturdays 8am-9pm and 9am-9pm this summer.

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Street Eats American Style

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

Visitors to the United States sometimes wonder: “What’s up with all of those food trucks”. Although the “food truck” has been around since the 1920s, the tiping point for the massive spread of the phenomenon around North America was probably 2008. If you want to learn all about the food truck boom, take a peek at this infographic which was created by Lindsey McCormack and Stephanie Buck for Mashable.

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Not Another Independence Day Celebration

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Brian D. Butler

At 309 meters tall, London’s Shard is now Europe’s tallest building. On July 5th, it will be celebrating the official completion of the external structure. The inauguration will be capped-off by a light show using 12 lasers and 30 massive searchlights. The extravaganza will target 15 London landmarks, including the Tower of London, Big Ben and the London Eye. The spectacule will commence at 10:15 pm and will be livestreamed from the Shard website.

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